Opinion: Arsenal’s season will become tougher after international break

Arsenal has enjoyed a fine start to the season and would have been eager to enter the international break with a win against Sunderland. However, the Gunners were unable to achieve that, struggling for form against a determined Black Cats side. The fixture exposed some of the challenges the team could face in the coming months and offered supporters a reminder that even the strongest squads can encounter difficult moments.

Some fans might argue that this could be one of the toughest games Arsenal will play all season, yet it is precisely such encounters that provide valuable lessons. Learning from these experiences can strengthen the team, allowing them to perform more effectively in subsequent matches. That draw against Sunderland felt particularly disappointing because, in many ways, supporters had envisioned Arsenal as potential Premier League champions even before the campaign reached this stage. The outcome was therefore more frustrating than it might have been under other circumstances.

A Crucial Period Ahead

I believe this draw signals the beginning of one of the most challenging periods of the season for the Gunners. Arsenal’s first match after the international break is a high-profile Premier League clash at home against Tottenham Hotspur, an encounter that will test the team’s resilience immediately. Following that, the club faces another demanding set of fixtures, including a Champions League match against Bayern Munich and a league meeting with Chelsea.

These three matches have the potential to be season-defining, not necessarily in terms of immediate silverware, but because they could significantly influence Arsenal’s position at the top of the table. Success in these fixtures will be crucial for maintaining momentum, while failure to secure points could allow rivals, particularly Manchester City, to gain a decisive advantage. If Tottenham and Chelsea manage to take points from Arsenal during this period, the Gunners will find themselves needing to recover quickly to remain in contention for the title.